Chicago Design Museum to Open Permanent Space

Chicago Design Museum to Open Permanent Space

CHICAGO—March 31, 2014. The Chicago Design Museum (ChiDM) has announced it is to establish a new permanent design gallery and archive space in Chicago this summer. The opportunity to create a permanent space will see ChiDM grow as a world-class resource, collecting and exhibiting local, national, and international design.

AIGA, the professional association for design, turns 100 this year and ChiDM’s first exhibition in the new gallery joins the centennial celebration by reintroducing Chicagoans to the last century of design from the city. Opening June 1, this broad historical documentation will be juxtaposed with a curated look at the ways in which communication could evolve in the next century.

“2014 is an important year for our community,” said Tanner Woodford, Co-Founder and Chairman at ChiDM. “Starting this summer, we will evolve and expand upon ChiDM’s mission, involving the community in our process, and changing our landscape together. In conjunction with the AIGA Centennial and Chicago Design Week, we will host several events during the summer exhibition that serve both our mission and community.”

ChiDM is harnessing crowdfunding to offer the design community in Chicago and beyond a unique partnership opportunity to help hang the exhibition in the new space. ChiDM’s first crowdfunding campaign utilizes Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. The Kickstarter campaign will run from March 31–May 2, with funding opportunities starting as low as $1. Through their Kickstarter pledges, supporters will be able to play a part in helping ChiDM acquire the permanent space in Chicago, amass an archive, curate a series of exhibitions, and be open year-round to the public.

Supporters will be able to see their Kickstarter contributions in action when the first exhibition opens in June but there are many other unique rewards on offer as part of the campaign. Depending on the pledge amount, rewards include ChiDM memberships, private tours and events, and an exclusive poster series created by past exhibitors and new collaborators. Designers involved in the one-off poster collection include Chuck Anderson, Marian Bantjes, James Goggin, Mike McQuade, Debbie Millman, and Michael C. Place.

“With support from the community, we will continue to serve as a resource for the design community and beyond, facilitating an open dialogue about contemporary and historical design through limited-engagement exhibitions, events, and digital media,” added Woodford. “Our new, permanent space will act as neutral ground, allowing for meaningful collaboration and conversation.”

ChiDM is a growing resource for the Chicago design community, intended to facilitate an open dialogue about contemporary and historical design through exhibitions, events, and digital media. For the past two years, ChiDM has operated as a highly-successful pop-up museum, working with artists and designers including Marian Bantjes, Ed Fella, Debbie Millman, and Wolfgang Weingart. ChiDM will install one exhibition per season in the new permanent space, opening the gallery for two months at a time. When the gallery is closed for a month to change exhibitions, the archive will be available for members and students to peruse by appointment.

For full details on the funding campaign and to view the complete list of rewards and benefits, visit the campaign site at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tannerwoodford/chicago-design-museum2014-summer-exhibition. For more information on ChiDM, visit www.chidm.com.

By AIGA Chicago
Published April 8, 2014
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